Sweet Ramen
by VinylSolution
Summary: Ann takes Ryuji out on a date for his birthday. But will he screw up his shot with Takamaki? Source for image: /2txIEl8


"You're...really good…" Ann panted.

"You...think so?" Ryuji smirked.

"Yeah! All those...track meetings...really paid off.'

"Considering what happened with Kamoshida, I think I made out pretty good." Ryuji found a seat for himself, and patted to the spare one next to him. "We got him to confess his crimes, and Shujin is doing better for it. Truth be told...I hated hating you."

"You...hated me?" Ann perked up.

"Well, sorta. It was my paranoia. I hated being so effin' powerless. I hated being removed from everyone. I ended up blaming everyone else for my problems, even you. I wasn't even thinking about what Kamoshida was doing to you and Shiho. Kinda selfish of me, but it was all too much. All I wanted to do was scream, as loud as I could, hoping someone, anyone would hear me.."

"Ryuji…"

"But then Akira came along. He helped me. Helped us. And now we're changing Japan for the better! I'm sorta glad things went the way they did."

Ann smiled. Ryuji may not look like it, but he can be a pretty deep thinker. Then an announcement came over the PA. "Akihabra. This is Akihabra." The two of them got up and left the train. Ann felt a lot less nervous. Maybe it was because she felt a different side of Ryuji. A gentler, more caring side.

"So where are we headed?" Ryuji asked, hands back in his pockets.

"Uh...um...well...I was going to get your birthday present…"

"You gave it away that easily?" Ryuji chuckled. "And everyone thinks I'd give away the Phantom Thieves' identity." Ann giggled. "Sorry. I wanted it to be a surprise, but I still couldn't say no.." Ryuji grinned, bearing his teeth. "Don't worry about it, I'll just wait outside. You can still surprise me with whatever game you're gonna buy." Ann nodded as they made it to the store. Ryuji did as he said and waited outside, as Ann went into the Game Store.

She quickly got something and came out, ignoring the stares she was getting in the store. Ryuji smirked. "So what'd you get?" he asked. Ann swayed back and forth, hiding the game behind her back. She then held out the game. Ryuji gasped in surprise. "No way! You got me Underforce?! Everybody's been playing this game! It's exactly what I've been looking for!" Ann blushed and gave him the game. "H-happy birthday, Ryuji." she said with a smile. Ryuji enveloped her in a big hug. "Thanks for being so awesome, dude. I really mean it." Ann was completely red-faced, speechless from the hug. Ryuji let her go and started reading the back of the box. This thankfully gave Ann enough time to recollect herself.

"L-let's head to Ogikubo!"

"Oh, shit yeah! I can't wait!"

They walked back to the station and took a connecting line to Ogikubo. The conversation between them was really lively. Ann listened intently with her hands on her chin as Ryuji talked about the football match he watched the other night, as Ryuji listened intently to Ann's latest brush with Mika, her rival model. Even though each story was far out of the others comfort zone, they were more than interested in what the other had to say.

Once they had left the station, Ann moved forward, looking around. "So where's the ramen shop?" Ryuji laughed out loud. "Oh, you'll know it when you see it. C'mon." Ryuji chuckled to himself, knowing exactly what Ann wasn't prepared for. They walked a few blocks, until it hit her. A ramen shop with a line outside of it that looked at least several km long. "That's the line?!" Ann stamped her feet. "Why would people wait this long for just noodles?!"

Ryuji smirked and then scratched his nose. "Trust me. Once you have their ramen, you'll completely understand why this line is so long."

Ann kept pouting, folding her arms. "If you say so. This better be the best ramen ever!"

"Trust me, it is! I took Akira here once, he swears by it now!"

"Really? He doesn't seem like the kinda guy who would get enthusiastic over anything…"

"I know, that's why I was surprised too!"

The group in front of them started moving forward. Ann scrambled and started moving ahead.

"See? The line's moving already! We'll be able to order our meal in no time!"

"So what kinda ramen do they have?" Ann seemed to have calmed herself down pretty easily.

"Okay, so there's the regular stuff. That's got pork, bamboo, spring onions, and dried seaweed with a soy sauce broth. And the noodles are extra thick because they wrinkle them by hand."

"Wow!"

"Yeah, and they've got ones with extra pork, or wanton broth instead. It's sooo good!"

Ann felt her stomach growl. Ryuji's description started to make her hungry.

"Auuugh, now I'm hunnngryyyy…" Ann whined.

"Oh, quit your bellyachin'. We'll get there soon!" Ryuji paused, and then got excited. "HOW'S SHIHO?" Ryuji always had trouble controlling the volume of his voice when he got really excited. "..Sorry."

Ann smirked. Ryuji knew why to apologize before she even said anything. "She's getting better! She's gained the power to walk again, and she's out of the hospital."

Ryuji gasped with surprise. "No way! That's crazy! It took me forever to get my leg back, and it's still not fully healed. How'd she do that?"

"I think...I think I helped? I dunno. Shiho's strength on getting better helped me become a better person, but she told me that me wanting to be a better person helped her get better. It's kinda a cycle, I guess." Ann chuckled. Ryuji looked up at the sky, his hands deep into his pockets.

"That's pretty cool. Two friends, helping each other without trying. Must be really great to have a friendship like that." Ann smiled to herself. "Yeah…"

"So when's she coming back to school?"

"She decided to transfer out. She felt like people would treat her differently since her...incident. It was for the best."

"Oh...yeah, people would judge her for that. We still need to hang out with her sometime soon! The 3 of us, just like old times." Ann was beaming. Ryuji, Shiho, and Ann. Together again. That sounded perfect. "Hey, she must be really happy that Kamoshida confessed, right?" Ryuji elbowed Ann. "All thanks to us, the amazing Phantom Thieves!" Ann responded by jabbing her elbow into Ryuji's stomach. "Will you shut up?!" Ann said through gritted teeth. "You're gonna give us away!" "Oh! Uh..sorry.." he mumbled.

"Hey, we're up next!" Ann pointed at the doorway, peering inside. She inhaled sharply, taking in the aroma of the noodle shop. Her stomach growled again. "It smells so gooooddddd!" Ann ran in place, eager for some ramen. Ryuji grinned. "Doesn't it?" Once they saw two people get up and leave, both Ann and Ryuji made a dash for the stools at the counter.

The elderly matron that was taking orders saw Ryuji dash to a seat. "Hello, Ryu-kun! A pleasure to see you again! How's your mother doing?"

"Hello, Ikue-san. She's alright. She's usually busy shopping and taking care of the house."

"Make sure to send her my best, Ryu-kun! And who is this lovely girl?" Ikue motioned over to Ann, her face in the menu.

"This is Ann."

Ann's eyes looked up to see the smiling woman.

"...Oh! I-it's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am!" Ann bowed her head. Ikue just laughed.

"No need to be so formal, dear. So how do you know Ryu-kun?"

"We go to the same school. We're...close friends." Ann blushed at saying it out loud. Ikue smiled, she knew exactly what was going on. Ryuji wasn't exactly the brightest guy when it took to figuring out girls, but it'd be much more fun for him to learn on his own.

"So what would you like to order? The usual for you, Ryu-kun?" Ryuji nodded. "And you, Ann-chan?"

"Can I have the regular, but with extra pork?"

"Oh-ho! You've got a real livewire on your hands, Ryu-kun!" Ikue laughed, walking away with their order. What did she mean by that…? Ryuji thought to himself.

While they waited for their meal, Ann and Ryuji's conversation picked up again. Mostly talking about thief life. The ramen shop was usually bustling with conversation, so Ann didn't have to worry about being eavesdropped. The topics varied from teammates, to shadow busting, to even how comfy Morgana's seats were. Ryuji had told her about the time Yusuke thought Morgana's seats where cowhide. "And I said cowhide? More like cathide!" he said. Ann snorted and started laughing uproariously. She had a weakness for puns.

That's when Ikue returned with 2 bowls. "One Sakamoto special, and Regular with extra pork!" She placed the bowls on the counter, the ramen steaming. Ann glanced down at it. It smelled heavenly. She split the chopsticks, clapped her hands together and said "Thank you for the meal!" Ryuji wasn't doing the same. He had already dug in, eating like he hadn't seen food in weeks. Ann smiled. God, what a dork, she thought.

She dug first into the pork, clasping it together with the chopsticks. She took a bite, and she involuntarily moaned. It was so good! The texture! The flavor added from the broth! It was incredible! She eagerly swallowed and then went for the noodles, the lifeblood of a ramen bowl. She started to slurp the noodles, loving the taste. It was fantastic! She couldn't get enough! "Ry-Ryuji…" she panted between bites. "This is amazing…you were so right…" Ryuji just smirked as he slurped his own noodles. "Told ya!" He looked over at Ann, who put her focus back on the pork, eyeing the bamboo. Damn, she can really pack it away. Where does it all go? He thought.

Both Ann and Ryuji finished drinking the remaining broth from their bowls. Ann leaned back, about ready to let out a contented sigh, but felt herself losing her balance. "Waugh!" she cried. She felt like she was ready to fall...but then she felt a hand holding her. "You okay?" Ryuji asked, helping push her back up. "I did that my first time too." he flashed his smile, thinking about the time he fell off the stool.

"You would do that." Ann said slyly.

"I told you that in confidence!"

Ann just laughed. Maybe Shiho wasn't so crazy about all this. Maybe she was making the right choice..

Ikue came back to retrieve the bowls. "You kids enjoy the meal?" Ann bowed her head again and said "Yes ma'am! Thank you for the food!" Ikue chuckled. "So polite! You could learn a thing or two from her, Ryu-kun." She placed the bill on the counter, walking away with the bowls. Ryuji nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. Manners weren't always his strong suit. Ann reached for the check, but Ikue put the bill closer to Ryuji. He grabbed the piece of paper and fished his wallet out of his back pocket.

"Ryuji..! Lemme pay! It was my idea to come here!"

"Uh-uh! It's my treat today."

"But your birthday!"

"I owe you. This'll make us even for the Dolphin Incident."

Ann paused, thinking of something to counter with. "...Fine! But I'm paying for where we go next!" Ryuji chuckled "We're going somewhere next?" he said, fishing two thousand yen notes out of his wallet. "Yeah, but I'm keeping that one a secret." Ann winked. What exactly was she up to? Ryuji thought.

The two of them made it back to the train station, the two of them feeling pretty drowsy. They sat together, Ann's arms wrapped around Ryuji's, curled up next to him. They ended up quietly waiting on the train, fighting the urge to fall asleep on the train right then and there. Ann peeked through one eye and jumped out. "This is our stop, c'mon!" She grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him up. After opening his eyes, he noticed her freaking out, got up, and dashed off the car before the doors closed. "That was close.." he said. "We gotta stay awake!"

"I think I'm gonna have no problem now...eheheh…" Ann said nervously. Best not to try and scare herself like that again. "Alright, so close your eyes, and come with me for the big surprise!" Another surprise…? Ryuji did as he was told and covered his eyes with one hand, while reaching out for Ann, who grabbed his hand as she led him out of the station.

Ryuji kept his eyes shut, stumbling up and down stairs, Ann getting "tickets" for something...were they going to a movie? They kept moving until he felt himself be stopped by Ann. "Okay, open your eyes now!" Ryuji uncovered his hand to reveal a dimly lit room, covered in stars. "Woah...where are we?"

"The Planetarium! I felt like this was a good way to end the night." Ann smiled, swaying from side to side.

"...So what do we do here?"

"Do? Do nothing. We just sit back, watch the stars, and let our minds wander."

"...Alright, that sounds pretty cool." Ryuji didn't think it was cool in the least. It sounded actually pretty boring. But Ann was really excited to share this with him, so he was gonna be nice about it.

The two of them sat together, seats reclined, staring up at the stars. Occasionally, constellations would light up, or a shooting star would fly by. It was beautiful. Ann looked up at the sky, then over to Ryuji. This night could not have been more perfect. She felt like her first date went amazingly. She got closer to Ryuji, and she kissed his cheek. Softly, tenderly, trying to be really sweet. "Thanks for making my first date so great, Ryuji." she said, her blushing cheeks radiating in the darkness. This made Ryuji turn red as well.

"THIS WAS A DATE?!"

Ann went from sweet to sour really quick. She gritted her teeth and hit him in the head. "Ryuji, you moron! Of course this was a date!"

"How was I supposed to know that?!"

Ann decided maybe it was best not to have the loud argument in the quiet planetarium. His obliviousness wasn't going anywhere anyway. She wrapped her arms around his and snuggled up to him. "You're such an idiot."


End file.
